Retired Oz General - talk of fighting for democracy in Iraq 'bullshit'
Yahoo-AFP: Retired major-general Alan Stretton, the chief of staff of Australia's military forces in Vietnam from 1969-70, said the situation in Iraq was becoming increasing similar to the conflict in the South East Asian nation.
"I really believe it will go the same way as Vietnam," Stretton told commercial radio. "It will get no better, only worse."
"Eventually public opinion in both the US and Australia and elsewhere will demand our troops come back and when they do they will be pretending that the locals can handle it all themselves, and we will just leave a bloody mess."
Stretton said internal ethnic differences meant Iraq would never be democratic in the conventional sense and the political system could not be imposed on the population.
"This talk about fighting for democracy, that is absolute, to use a phrase, bullshit," he said.
"You have three different people in three virtually different areas. The most you could have would be some sort of loose confederation." Link
"I really believe it will go the same way as Vietnam," Stretton told commercial radio. "It will get no better, only worse."
"Eventually public opinion in both the US and Australia and elsewhere will demand our troops come back and when they do they will be pretending that the locals can handle it all themselves, and we will just leave a bloody mess."
Stretton said internal ethnic differences meant Iraq would never be democratic in the conventional sense and the political system could not be imposed on the population.
"This talk about fighting for democracy, that is absolute, to use a phrase, bullshit," he said.
"You have three different people in three virtually different areas. The most you could have would be some sort of loose confederation." Link
posted by exoplanet at 5:51 PM
<< Home